


Prepared

by JoMouse



Series: Sterek Bingo 2019 [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Flirting, Chocolate, Derek Hale Has Panic Attacks, Don't copy to another site, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Panic Attacks, Sterek Bingo 2019, Strangers to Lovers, sbchocolate, sbcosplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-14 16:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18951856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: Derek and Stiles meet in a chocolate shop. They are both too awkward for words.Written for the themes Chocolate and Cosplay forSterek Bingo 2019.





	Prepared

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovlies!
> 
> This really was supposed to be short and silly...instead, it just ended up silly. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> As always, huge thanks to my betas/cheerleaders: [Marie](http://quiet-zap.tumblr.com) and Jenn!
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.
> 
> Also, the author does not grant permission for this or any works to be shared on GoodReads.

Stiles stood in front of the chocolate display, eyes sweeping left to right as he took in the dozens of different flavours of chocolate squares. Glancing down at the list on his phone, he tapped a finger against the entry “Chocolate from  _ Hale’s Heavenly Delights _ ” in a desperate attempt for more details to magically appear. He reached a hand out hovering over the nearest package when someone cleared their throat behind him.

Letting out a very manly screech, Stiles flailed as he whirled around, tripping over his own feet and falling into a brick wall. A very warm brick wall. Looking up, he was surprised to find the wall had seafoam kaleidoscope eyes underneath two very full eyebrows that were drawn together in irritation. “Dude, so not cool,” Stiles muttered.

“Don’t call me dude,” the actual man who did a damn good impression of a brick wall growled as he grasped Stiles’ biceps and pushed him off his chest. “You’ve been standing here vibrating for twenty minutes. Do you need help with something?”

“I need chocolate!” Stiles exclaimed, waving his phone in the man’s face.

Raised eyebrows and a tilted head towards the massive display were his only acknowledgement. When Stiles only flailed in response, he narrowed his eyes and jerked his head towards the display again.

“Dude!” Stiles squawked when he realized he wasn’t going to get an actual reply.

“Derek,” the man growled and then sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. “Is there a specific kind of chocolate you’re looking for?” His voice dripped with false sincerity and Stiles was impressed, for about thirty seconds, until the man started to turn away with a huff.

Stiles flapped his arms and nearly threw his phone out to Derek, who managed to catch it and looked down at the black screen. “It just says chocolate!” Derek held the phone up and Stiles groaned, reaching out and opening the screen again, waiting as Derek’s eyes went over the list and let out a low chuckle. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re Lydia’s latest victim,” he responded, voice slightly mirthful as he reached out and grabbed three packages and held them out. “These are her favourites.”

Stiles gaped and grabbed the chocolate, noting they were high in cocoa content and flavored with cinnamon, wasabi and ginger. He wrinkled his nose and looked back up at Derek. “Seriously? You’re not just trying to sabotage me?” Derek didn’t have a chance to respond before a text from Lydia came through demanding to know where he was and what was taking so long. “Shit.”

Derek disappeared without another comment as the pretty blonde, Erica her name tag stated, rang him up. As Stiles ran from the shop, he was too focused on getting to his Jeep without faceplanting to concern himself with the strange behavior of beautiful men. He threw the bag on the passenger seat and made his way back to Lydia’s house, wondering if he’d passed her crazy test and would be able to be her personal assistant.

The following week, officially employed thanks to Derek’s chocolate assistance, he found himself standing in front of the door of  _ Hale’s Heavenly Delights _ , straightening his shirt and running a hand through his hair. He reached for the door and dropped his hand again, repeating the motion several times. He was just about to give up and go back to Lydia’s and lose his job when someone cleared their throat behind him.

Unsurprisingly, he flailed and tripped and fell into Derek, again. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Stiles muttered, banging his forehead against Derek’s chest, surprised when it rumbled beneath him. Glancing up, he saw the corners of Derek’s lips curled and shoulders shaking; he was laughing. “What’s so funny?”

Derek shrugged, grasping Stiles’ biceps, much more gently than the week before, and moved him off his chest. “Did you get the job?”

“I did!” Stiles said, smiling widely. “She was so impressed I got the right chocolate that she hired me on the spot! And now I’ve been ordered to come back to order a cake for her birthday party. Although, I suspect it’s another test because I’m not entirely convinced it’s actually her birthday because she wears a lot of Aquamarine which is March’s birthstone and here we are in September which is Sapphire, which while similar is definitely different than Aquamarine. And strangely enough, even their mystical birthstones of Jade and Agate are similar. So, maybe I’m just confused, but I’m pretty sure I can tell the difference and she definitely wears Aquamarine.”

Derek reached around him, pulling the door open and cutting off Stiles’ nervous rambling. “So, that’s why you were standing here stuck in a loop. A chocolate shop should not be that intimidating.”

Stiles went inside, glad when Derek fell into step beside him. “You seem to spend a lot of time here,” he commented as they made their way to the counter, Erica smiling at them and greeting Derek by name. Derek grunted in response and disappeared as Erica helped Stiles choose a cake; he was grateful Lydia had given him more details this time.

As he left with a receipt, he glanced around the shop, wondering where Derek had gone. He turned to ask Erica but she was walking through a door into the back of the shop and he didn’t want to shout and disturb the other customers scattered throughout the shop. Shaking his head, he figured he’d ask when he came to pick up the cake the following weekend.

People raced around the ballroom, hanging decorations, placing centerpieces, checking lighting as Stiles wracked his brain for anything he would have forgotten. He’d had the nagging feeling all day that there was something and that it was vital, but he just couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He felt like Neville faced with the remembralls. He pulled up the checklist on his phone tapping each entry as he verified they had been done. Lydia had already threatened his job three times that morning and he didn’t want to give her an excuse to drive the final nail into the coffin of his employment.

“Stiles,” her voice carried and he looked over where she was standing next to the dessert table with an ominous blank area atop a blue draped platform in the middle. “Where’s my cake?”

“F...fudge nut ripple,” he muttered. “I…” She turned angry hazel eyes on him and he was ready to run for his life when someone cleared their throat behind him causing an all-too-familiar sequence of events. 

Thankfully, Derek’s reflexes were good and he moved the cake box out of the way before Stiles could smash it between them. “Happy Half-Birthday, Lydia,” Derek said as he moved around Stiles gracefully and set about moving the cake to its display on the table.

“Half-birthday!?” Stiles squeaked. “I knew I was right about the birthstones.”

Lydia and Derek ignored him as they looked over the cake together. She flashed Derek a bright smile. “Perfect as always. Are you staying for the party?”

“Sorry,” Derek told her, pressing a kiss to the cheek she presented him. “You know I don’t do parties.” Frowning, she opened her mouth to speak, but her on-again boyfriend chose that moment to call for her attention and she flounced off without another word.

“Thank you,” Stiles gasped out as he turned his attention back to where Derek had been standing just a moment before, but the space was empty. Looking around frantically, he spotted him exiting the ballroom. “One day I’m going to get you to stick around for longer than five seconds,” he said to himself before racing off when Lydia shouted for him again.

He didn’t get the opportunity to try and get Derek to stick around, didn’t even see the man, for another month. It was three days before Halloween and Stiles was looking over  _ Hale’s Heavenly Delights’  _ seasonal offerings. He was debating between the chili powder infused chocolate spiders and the white chocolate skeletons when he spotted someone approaching in the reflection of the display case.

He figured he had a couple of moments before Derek cleared his throat in an attempt to startle him. He reached out to tap the glass by the spiders, his eyes locked on Derek’s reflection as he came to a stop and crossed his arms over his chest. Although his face wasn’t very clear in the convex glass, Stiles swore he saw the corners of Derek’s mouth quirk upwards for a second.

Taking a breath, Stiles spun around on his heel, thankful he remained upright and said, “Hey, Derek,” around a cheek burning smile.

Derek nodded in greeting, his mouth turning in a frown reminding Stiles of that unhappy kitten in the memes. “Does Lydia need something else?”

Stiles shook his head. “Nope. This is all me. My roommate and I are having a Halloween party and I’m in charge of the treats.” A blank stare was the only response and Stiles reacted the only way he knew how in any situation.

He babbled.

“I’ve already decided on cupcakes and chocolate-coated pretzels and popcorn balls.” He tapped his fingertips as he listed each item. “Now, I’m trying to decide between the spiders and the skeletons.” He looked back at the case. “All of the chocolates here are so fancy. Do you think they have any plain milk chocolate?” He looked past Derek’s uncomfortable stance. “Have you seen Erica?”

“It’s her day off,” he answered.

“You really do spend a lot of time here,” Stiles responded and reached a hand out towards the bell on the counter, freezing when Derek grabbed him by the wrist.

“You can special order plain milk chocolate,” Derek said, keeping hold of Stiles’ wrist and pulling him away from the counter. “And yes, I spend a lot of time here.” He shifted his grip so they were shaking hands. “Derek Hale. Head baker and co-owner of this fine establishment.”

Stiles gaped and Derek tugged his hand free to walk around to the other side of the counter and pulled out a few blank order forms. “Let’s start with the cupcakes.”

It took nearly an hour to get everything sorted out, Derek being a huge help and even recommending a good place to get sandwiches at a reasonable price. “My sister owns it. Tell her I sent you,” he told Stiles as he handed back his credit card. The total hadn’t been nearly as catastrophic as he’d expected, so he was able to afford real food for the party as well as treats.

“Now, did you want delivery?” Derek asked and Stiles started to hand his card back, nodding, but Derek pushed it away. “No cost. I just need an address.”

Stiles rattled it off and turned to leave. He turned back around three times between the counter and the door only to turn right back around again. “Stiles,” Derek called, tone exasperated but surprisingly fond. “What is it?”

Stiles chewed his lip, folding and unfolding the receipt as he stared at his shuffling feet. “Do you want to come?” Derek raised an eyebrow. “To the party,” he shouted, slapping a hand over his mouth when a customer glared at him. He hurried back to the counter. “Do you want to come to the party?” Derek frowned and Stiles sighed. “I figured. I heard you tell Lydia you don’t do parties, but I figured it was worth a shot.” He did finger guns and winked before turning and all but running for the door, his face burning.

“Stiles!” Derek shouted just before the door closed and Stiles ducked his head back in, confused. “I’ll let you know,” he said softly.

Stiles grinned until his cheeks burned. “It’s a costume party, but I’m sure there will be people in regular clothes so don’t stress. Also, there will be a keg, but if you want something else, it’s bring your own.” 

Derek smiled and nodded, waving as Stiles left. As soon as the door was closed, Stiles let out a squeal and pumped his fist, growing embarrassed again when an older man chuckled at him. Even that didn't dampen his spirits as he practically skipped to his Jeep.

Early Halloween afternoon, Stiles raced around the apartment, doublechecking decorations while Scott was out picking up the keg and sandwiches with Lydia’s boyfriend, Jackson. The buzzer sounded as Stiles raced past the door and his arms windmilled as he skidded to a stop, imagining the sound of squealing brakes. He punched the speaker button. “Yeah?”

“It’s Derek from  _ Hale’s- _ ”

Stiles cut him off by pressing the door releasing and then hurried out the door and down the stairs to help Derek bring in the delivery. He tripped over the carpet in the lobby when he was distracted by the sight of Derek in his costume. The blue and red spandex hugged Derek in a way his normal clothes never did and it took everything in Stiles’ consciousness to keep his eyes on Derek’s face which was clean-shaven for the first time since they’d first met. “I thought we were past this,” Derek said, putting a palm against Stiles’ forehead and shoving him away gently, laughing when Stiles pouted and floundered.

“Yeah, well,” Stiles said, waving his arm up and down in the air indicating Derek’s body. “That was Derek the baker, not Superman!” He tilted his head, face burning as Derek turned away to get the rolling cart he had behind him, giving Stiles a view of his bubble butt encased in spandex. “Shouldn’t you have a cape?”

“Too easy to trip over,” Derek told him. He glanced around the lobby. “Please tell me there’s an elevator?” 

“This way,” Stiles told him, gesturing and then deciding to lead the way because walking behind Derek was dangerous at that moment. “So, Superman, does this mean you’re staying for the party?” he asked as the elevator doors closed.

Derek looked him up and down, eyes stopping on Stiles’ chest where his black shirt proclaimed,  _ This is my costume! _ in white writing. He shook his head with a frown. “Not if you’re seriously wearing that.”

Stiles laughed, reaching out to punch Derek in the upper arm, internally freaking out. “This is just my pre-party costume. My party costume is hidden away in my room only to be revealed at the appropriate time!”

“I guess I’ll have to stick around to see if your party costume is good enough for me to endure a party,” Derek teased as they exited the elevator and made their way down the hall.

“Oh, it will,” Stiles assured as his brain kept screaming and he unlocked the door, helping Derek get the cart through the narrow opening. “Although, I thought you didn’t do parties.”

“There are always exceptions,” Derek told him. “I brought your order from  _ Hale & Hearty _ as well and talked Laura into throwing in some extra pickles and chips to go with the sandwiches.”

“You are the greatest!” Stiles said, grabbing his phone to text Scott and let him know he didn’t need to pick up the sandwiches.

As he returned his attention to the kitchen, he found Derek staring at the photos stuck all over the refrigerator, a frown on his face. “Hey, I’m not that ugly,” Stiles argued, laughing as he moved to stand next to Derek, watching the tips of the man’s ears turn slightly pink.

“Your boyfriend?” he asked, pointing to a pic of Scott and Stiles at the previous year’s Halloween party where they’d dressed as a football player and a cheerleader, respectively.

“My roommate, Scott. You’ll meet him in a bit,” Stiles explained, waving a finger around until it landed on a photo from their camping trip the summer before. “Here he is in normal clothes. The beautiful girl with the dimples sprawled across his lap is Allison. His fiancé.”

They spent the next few minutes discussing the pictures while unloading the cart until Scott burst through the door carrying a keg with Jackson. “Hey! I’m Scott,” he shouted, nearly letting go of the keg until Jackson shouted for help.

“Derek,” he called after them as they disappeared onto the balcony where a metal tub of ice waited. Derek turned a smile on Stiles. “So, no girlfriend? Or boyfriend?”

Stiles’ throat dried out at the question, wondering if wishful thinking was creating implications in his mind that weren’t there, but before he could answer, Scott reappeared. “No boyfriends for this one. Love ‘em and leave ‘em! That’s my boy,” he said, slinging an arm over Stiles’ shoulders and Stiles had to fight the urge to punch his best friend in his stupid crooked face when Derek’s smile disappeared.

“We should finish unloading this,” Derek said, turning his attention back to the food. “Just show me where you want everything.”

Stiles knew that Scott’s comments had upset Derek; he didn’t understand why, but he knew he had to at least try to get smiling Derek back. Unfortunately, every joke fell flat and whenever they brushed hands or arms, Derek jerked away like he’d been shocked.

At least Derek stuck around and by the time Stiles left saying he had to change into his spectacular party costume, he was picking up his cape and attaching it to his shoulders which had relaxed slightly. “That costume is really cool. Where did you rent it?”

“My youngest sister, Cora, is a costume designer in New York. She made it for me for Christmas last year,” Derek explained, blushing when Stiles screeched. “I wore it to Comic-Con last year.”

“I repeat my earlier sentiment - you are the greatest - and we will discuss your geek side once I’m changed,” Stiles said, pointing both hands at him as he backed down the hallway to his bedroom.

“I look forward to it,” Derek called out, smiling.

Stiles ducked into his bedroom, slamming the door and leaning back against it, freaking out because his shirt really was his costume. Normally, he did something elaborate and/or collaborative with Scott, but he’d been so busy trying to put together the party and Scott wanted to do his own thing, that he’d completely forgotten about a costume. Once he’d remembered, there was no time to come up with anything. 

He tore through his closet, trying to come up with something, anything. He was on the verge of going out into the living room naked and claiming he was the Emperor from the Emperor’s New Clothes when Scott stuck his head in the door, eyes widening at the disaster surrounding Stiles.

“Dude, what happened?”

“I need a costume,” Stiles whisper-shouted. “If I don’t come up with something amazing, Derek is going to leave and he can’t leave!” He was trying to keep his voice down, but he managed to scream the last word.

“I have an idea,” Scott said. “Allison hates my costume. She’s bringing something over that goes along with hers, so just wear mine.”

“But you spent so much time on it!” Stiles argued.

“All the more reason for you to wear it so it doesn’t go to waste!” Scott told him. “It’s a great costume, she just didn’t find it funny.”

“Women,” Stiles scoffed, following Scott to his bedroom where the costume was hidden.

Exiting the bedroom as harder than entering because the sides of the costume almost didn’t fit through. The box that served as the body of the costume would certainly discourage getting close with Derek, but maybe after a few hours and he’d convinced him to stay, Derek could take it off.

“Hold on!” Scott shouted. “You’re forgetting the best part!” He slammed a lampshade on top of Stiles’ head, watching as Stiles adjusted it so he could see.

“Here goes nothing,” he muttered, spotting Derek at the end of the hall, two red solo cups in his hands and looking uncomfortable. “Derek!” he called, striking a pose which consisted of him standing straight and still, arms pulled tight against the box at his sides. “What do you think?”

Derek laughed as he approached, holding out one of the cups. “I didn’t know if you wanted beer.” He tilted his head to the side. “What are you? An end table?”

“Close,” Stiles said, taking the cup and draining it before slipping it inside the cup already glued upright to his costume by his right ear. “Empty glass, a condom wrapper, crumpled piece of paper with a phone number on it,” he said, pointing to each object before touching the knobs on the front of his costume. “I’m a one night stand!” he said proudly, waving jazz hands as he did.

He’d expected a chuckle or an eye roll or some kind of fond exasperation from Derek, but what he got was a look of absolute disgust. Derek’s face turned green and his eyes widened as he turned and walked towards the door, setting his empty cup on the table by the front door. Stiles stood frozen until the door began to close behind Derek and as soon as his bum was out of view, he snapped into action.

He dove at the door, ripping it open and trying to dart into the hall, but the costume got caught between the jambs and he started cursing as he kept throwing all of his weight towards the hallway, shouting for Derek even though there was no sign for him as far as he could tell. He finally popped through the door, the sides of the costume compressing and both of his arms taking a beating when someone knocked into him from behind and sent him sprawling to the ground.

He struggled to stand, the costume keeping him trapped and the edges of the lampshade digging into his face. Finally, he gave up and just let his body go limp in the middle of the hallway, knowing Derek was long gone and there was nothing he would be able to do about it. He tried shouting for Scott, but the music from the party was too loud. If he’d had more to drink, he would probably have started crying but he was too sober for such displays of emotion.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before a pair of blue booted feet appeared in front of him. Twisting his head around, he was surprised to see Derek glaring down at him. “I forgot my cart,” he muttered before holding a hand out which Stiles gladly grabbed so Derek could help him to his feet.

As soon as he was upright, Stiles ripped off the lampshade. “What did I do?” he demanded. “Scott and I thought the costume was hilarious.”

Derek shook his head and made his way back into the apartment, grabbing his cart from where he’d folded it up and stuck it near the pantry in the kitchen. He started to leave again, but Stiles blocked his way. “Can we talk?” Derek stared at a spot over Stiles’ head. “Please?”

“Not now. Not when we’re dressed like this,” Derek told him. Stiles nodded and stepped aside to let Derek pass. “I’ll call you,” he muttered as he walked away without looking back and Stiles had never heard a more blatant lie in his life, but had no idea what to do to stop him.

Weeks passed and Stiles didn’t see or hear from Derek, of course, he hadn’t been inside  _ Hale’s Heavenly Creations _ either. He quit working for Lydia because he’d had found a job as a dispatcher with the police department and the hours were better, even if the pay was not. Of course, just because he hadn’t been inside of Derek’s shop didn’t mean he hadn’t been by it. The route he took to work each day passed by, even if it wasn’t the quickest route. He would crane his neck as he passed the windows, hoping for a glimpse of dark hair and stubble, but Derek never seemed to be there.

It was Black Friday and Stiles was standing in the middle of a toy store cursing his life. One of the kids at the orphanage was begging and pleading for that year’s hot toy and Stiles’ soft-hearted father had promised to get it, which meant that Stiles was out shopping while he worked extra shifts to cover the craziness that day. This was the fifth toy store he’d been in that day and every single one of them had been sold out. Now he was on his phone searching for the toy online and was about to pay a ridiculous amount of money that he didn’t actually have just so his father could be a superhero.

His thumb hovered over the “submit payment” button when his attention was drawn to a figure tucked into the corner of the store, arms tucked close and head ducked. If it hadn’t been for a quick flash of the profile, Stiles would never have realized that Derek was there, his dark clothing and hair blending into the shadows. Shoving his phone into his pocket, Stiles moved quickly through the crowd, stepping over a child who was screaming and yelling at his mother for a Barbie doll while his father just tried to shove a GI Joe at him. “Stupid gender roles,” Stiles muttered as he “accidentally” knocked the GI Joe out of the man’s hand and hurried away before anything could be said.

When he was finally near enough, he could tell that Derek was trembling and crouched into the corner, talking into his phone. “Get me out of here,” he was hissing, his breaths coming fast and uneven. 

Reaching out carefully, Stiles tapped his fingertips on Derek’s shoulder before grasping it gently. Derek’s head shot up and his eyes widened when he saw who had touched him. “Stiles,” he gasped out. Stiles could hear shouting from the other end of the phone and then Derek was holding it out to him.

Stiles started to let go of Derek’s shoulder, but he grabbed his hand holding it there, so Stiles used his other hand to take the phone and hold it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Stiles? It’s Erica,” the woman’s voice was calm, but Stiles could hear the edge of worry in it. “Where are you?”

“The toy store at the outlet mall,” he answered, glancing down at Derek who was squeezing his hand tightly as he kept his eyes closed and seemed to be trying to control his breathing. “What’s going on?” As he took in everything about Derek, he realized why everything that was going on seemed so familiar. “Is Derek having a panic attack?”

She let out a breath that carried relief that Stiles could feel even through the phone lines. “Yes. He doesn’t like crowds. I don’t know why he thought going out on Black Friday was a smart choice. Can you stay with him until I get there?”

“Sure. Yeah, I don’t have anywhere to be, but do you want me to just bring him to you? The traffic is awful and I’m already here,” Stiles offered as he knelt next to Derek, trying to get him to look him in the face but his eyes were screwed shut.

“Just bring him to the shop,” Erica said. “That would be perfect. I’ll meet you there.” 

She’d hung up before Stiles could say anything and he pocketed Derek’s phone before attempting to move around in front of him. “Hey,” he whispered, brushing his fingers against Derek’s face, smiling when Derek opened one eye. “Wanna get out of here?” Derek shook his head. “Why not?” Derek looked down to the floor between his legs and Stiles’ eyes widened when he saw two of the toy he’d been looking for. “Yeah, we aren’t leaving without those.”

It took some effort, but he got Derek to stand up and wrapped one arm around his waist while Derek hugged the toys to his chest, eyes glaring at anyone who came too close to them while they waited in line to pay, his body curling even more around the toys. “Did someone try to take them?” Stiles asked and Derek let out a low growl, surprising him. “Well, no one is taking one now...unless you’re willing to part with one for me.” 

They reached the register more quickly than he’d thought they would, but he wondered if Derek had managed to scare people away in his non-vocal state. There was a moment of concern when Derek wouldn’t let go of the toys to allow the cashier to ring them up, but the exhausted high schooler just rolled her eyes and held out the scanning gun to scan the boxes in his arms. Stiles thanked her profusely and she just waved him off, attention already on the next person in line.

Once they were out of the store and safely in Stiles’ jeep, he checked on Derek who was looking out the windshield, his face still pale. His grip on the boxes had loosened slightly, but sweat was still dripping down his face. His breaths were uneven and had fogged up the windows before Stiles could even turn the key.

“People are going to think we’re up to no good,” Stiles teased, regretting the words when Derek flinched. “Sorry, bad joke.” 

The ride was quiet, Stiles at a loss for what to say; he wasn’t used to being on this side of a panic attack, so he was unsure of how to handle it. For him, being distracted helped, but every time he opened his mouth, Derek’s shoulders tensed, so he just focused on the road in front of them. When Stiles pulled up in front of the shop, Derek was out of the car before he’d put the Jeep into park. Tumbling out his own door, Stiles hurried after Derek and into the shop to find Derek wrapped up in Erica’s arms. She was petting his hair and whispering to him, but she smiled when her eyes met Stiles’ over his shoulder and she mouthed, “Thank you.”

Despite what his father would say, Stiles knew when he wasn’t needed or wanted, so he waved off the gratitude and backed out of the shop. Once outside, he dug his hands into his pockets and ducked his head as he slowly made his way to his vehicle and climbed in. He took one look back at the shop and thought he saw Derek watching him through the window. Stiles raised a hand to wave as Derek disappeared and Stiles wondered if he’d actually been there at all.

A few days later, Stiles was settled on his couch binge watching  _ Nailed It _ on Netflix when the doorbell buzzed. He wasn’t expecting company, but he figured Scott had forgotten his key again, so he jumped up and ran over to the door and pressed the speaker button. “Do we need to attach your key to a bellybutton piercing, dude?”

“Stiles?” Derek’s voice was tentative and Stiles smacked himself in the forehead. “Can I come up?” Stiles scanned the living room before looking down at his plaid pajama bottoms and grey cheeto-stained shirt. His feet were bare and as he run his hand over his head he grimaced at the greasy consistency of his hair; he was overdue for a shower by a couple of days. 

“Derek, sure, come on up,” he said as he pressed the buzzer. Then he pulled open the front door of his apartment, using one of his shoes to prop it open before he grabbed a sticky note and scribbled, “In shower. Make yourself at home,” and stuck it to the outside of the door at Derek’s eye level. He raced down the hall and distantly heard the elevator ding as he turned on the shower.

He cleaned up quickly and then realized he didn’t have any clean clothes in the bathroom with him, so he peeked out the bathroom door, but saw no sign of Derek so he raced to his bedroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. Once he was inside, he slammed his door and dropped the towel, freezing when someone cleared their throat behind him. Spinning around, he tripped over the towel at his feet and fell into Derek’s chest.

“Okay, this is getting fucking ridiculous!” Stiles shouted, hiding his face in Derek’s chest even though he really wanted to just fall through the floor and into oblivion and never have to face Derek again.

Derek gripped his biceps and pushed him off his chest and steadied him on his feet. When Stiles looked, his eyes were tightly closed, reminiscent of the other day in the toy store. Hurrying away, he grabbed the first thing he laid his hands on which happened to be the fox onesie that Scott had gotten him for his birthday. Groaning, he pulled it on and zipped it up before speaking. 

“You can open your eyes,” he said, moving to sit on his desk chair and then gesturing for Derek to sit on his bed once he’d opened his eyes. “So, hi.”

“Hi,” Derek responded, the tips of his ears slightly pink as he stared down at his hands locked together between his knees as he leaned forward on Stiles bed. 

After a minute, he reached behind himself and grabbed something off the bed and tossed it at Stiles who fumbled it before realizing what it was: one of the toys. “This for me?”

Derek nodded, glancing up at Stiles through his eyelashes. “I wanted to say ‘thanks’ for the other day,” he explained. “You didn’t have to do what you did and once I...settled down, I remembered you mentioned you wanted one.”

“Man, my dad is going to be thrilled,” Stiles told him, running a hand over the front of the box.

“Your dad wants Fingerling Raptors?” Derek asked, smirking.

“So, it was perfectly normal for me to want one, but not my dad?” Stiles asked, incredulous.

“Well, you are a bit on the weird side,” Derek responded after a moment.

Stiles blinked at him. “Are you...are you teasing me?” He held a hand to his chest in mock offense before chuckling. He then explained the situation and Derek nodded.

“The one I got is for Laura’s daughter,” Derek told him before straightening up. “I would do anything for that little girl.” He sighed. “I suck at people; it’s why Erica’s always behind the counter and I’m in the back.”

“You’re always out front when I see you,” Stiles told him. 

“Because I see  _ you _ ,” Derek told him. “That first day when you were staring at the chocolates, I had just brought out a new tray of cookies and saw you standing there.”

“And you wanted to make fun of the idiot?” Stiles asked, remembering Derek scaring the crap out of him that first day. He also remembered him helping him in the end.

“No, I wanted to talk to the cute guy.” Stiles gaped at him. “Then when you came in for the cake, Erica told me you were there and teased me relentlessly about it after you left.”

“You delivered the cake when I forgot,” Stiles said. “That’s not normal, is it?” Derek shook his head, looking embarrassed. “What happened at the party? We were having a good time and then you literally ran away.”

Derek cleared his throat and pushed off the bed, crossing to the window and looking outside. “It was the costume,” he explained. “It’s stupid...I wanted to ask you out and when I saw the costume, I thought you were trying to tell me something.”

Stiles jumped to his feet and crossed over to Derek, placing a hand on his shoulder and spinning him so they were face to face. “It was a  _ costume _ . Hell, it wasn’t even my costume, but you thought my costume was lame! So, I had to hurry and find something. It was either my pajamas,” he said, indicating the onesie he was wearing, “or steal Scott’s costume. Clearly, I made the wrong choice.”

Derek studied Stiles’ face, his eyes searching for something. “Dude, I am so not a one-night stand kind of guy. I started planning my wedding after one formal with a girl in high school.”

Derek smiled. “I don’t do one-night stands either, so that night at the party when you were dressed like that…” He trailed off, looking away again as he ran a hand through his hair, the other arm wrapping around his own waist protectively.

Stiles huffed out a sigh before he took the hand at Derek’s waist and squeezed it before pulling his arm away from his body and stepped closer. “So, you suck at people and I just suck, apparently,” Stiles joked, relieved when Derek’s lips quirked in a smile.

The hand in Derek’s hair dropped and his fingers tangled with Stiles’ other hand as he pressed their foreheads together. Stiles studied the blue-green of his eyes until Derek closed them and took a deep breath. “So, will you have a non-one-night stand with me?”

Stiles tilted his head to the side and pressed a kiss to Derek’s cheek before pulling his hands free and hugging Derek fiercely, smiling when he returned the embrace. “I would love to,” he whispered. 

Derek pulled back but kept his arms around Stiles’ waist. “When?”

“Now?” Stiles suggested, grinning.

Derek laughed. “Now is good, but…”

“But?”

“You can’t wear the onesie,” he choked out, trying to contain a laugh that burst out when Stiles shoved him away and then towards the door of the bedroom.

“You can wait in the living room!” Stiles told him. “Like a proper gentleman.” He listened to Derek’s laughter as he closed the door and hurried to get dressed. 

When he was done changing and fixing his hair, he strode down the hall to the living room, his stomach twisting in excitement before it dropped completely when he found the room empty. “D...d-erek?” he called, jumping when there was a knock on the door.

Peeking through the peephole, he saw Derek standing there, hands behind his back and a smile on his face. “What the fuck, dude?” he muttered, twisting the doorknob, shoulders shaking with laughter.

The laughter died when he got the door open and saw Derek holding out a small bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. “You wanted a proper gentleman.”

Stiles stared at him before glancing down at his feet and seeing a picnic basket. “A bit presumptuous weren’t you?” he asked, trying to sound stern but he couldn’t fight off the grin on his face.

Derek held the items out, letting out a breath when Stiles took them and leaned in to sniff the flowers. “Not presumptuous. Just a bit hopeful.” He held out a hand and Stiles took it in his free hand as Derek picked up the picnic basket and led him to the elevator. “And a whole lot prepared.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come say, "Hi!" I'm [josjournal](http://josjournal.tumblr.com) on tumblr. Kudo and comment if you enjoyed it. :D


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